Adjustable swivel glide

ABSTRACT

An automatic height and angle adjusting swivel glide for use on furniture, such as tables, chairs, etc., or other equipment, having an upper and a lower shell or housing part secured together, a multisectioned collet within the assembled shells resiliently held together by means of an elastic ring, and a cam with a stem for securing to the furniture or equipment. The collet is provided with opposed concave generally conical surfaces receiving a cam surface on the lower end of the stem and a second cam surface on the raised central portion of the lower floor-engaging shell. Interaction between the cam surfaces and the collet allows the glide to rise, lower and tilt relative to the stem and compensate for irregularities of the floor surface.

United States Patent Meinhardt Mar. 7, 1972 [54] ADJUSTABLE SWIVEL GLIDE Primary Examiner-Bobby R. Gay [72] Inventor: James R. Melnlmrdt, Evanston, Ill. :gg; Trauma [73] Assignee: Keystone Consolidated Industries, Inc.,

Peoria, Ill. ABSTRACT [22] Fil d; J 10, 1970 An automatic height and angle adjusting swivel glide for use on furniture, such as tables, chairs, etc., or other equipment, [21] Appl- 45,075 having an upper and a lower shell or housing part secured together, a multisectioned collet within the assembled shells [52] Us. n 16/42 resiliently held together by means of an elastic ring, and a cam 51] 1m. 01. ..A47b, 91/00 with a m for securing to the furniture or equipment. The [58] Field of Search ..16/42, 19; 248/1889 @116 is Pmlid"d generally faces receiving a cam surface on the lower end of the stem and ms a second cam surface on the raised central portion of the [561 Refer cued lower floor-engaging shell. Interaction between the cam sur- UNITED STATES P TENTS faces and the collet allows the glide to rise, lower and tilt relative to the stem and compensate for irregularities of the floor 3,166,782 1/1965 Miller ..l6/4-2 surfam 3,191,213 6/1965 Congdon 9Claims,7DrawingFigures ADJUSTABLE SWIVEL GLIDE The present invention relates to a novel self-adjusting glide and more particularly to an automatic height and angle adjusting swivel glide for use on furniture or other equipment.

Among the objects of the present invention is the provision of an automatically adjusting swivel glide which will eliminate the problem of furniture wobbling due to unevenness of the floor. This glide would be affixed to one or more supporting elements of the furniture piece, with the other supporting elements having conventional nonadjusting glides secured thereto. The glide includes a flexible connection between the stem secured to the furniture and the floor-engaging member providing an ability to tilt to allow for variations in the angular relationship of the supporting element to the floor. The stem may take a variety of forms to accommodate the many support elements to which it will be affixed. For instance, the stem may be plain, with machine screw threads, with wood screw threads, with a hollow tapped hole instead of a stern, etc.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an automatic adjustment in height for a furniture support. The height adjustment is accomplished through a split collet encompassed by a resilient ring to allow for expansion or contraction of the segments of the collet under loads exerted by the cams thereon. As the collet is forced open by the cams the height is diminished. As the load is removed the resilient ring forces the collet to close with a resulting increase in height.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of an automatic height adjusting swivel glide having a hollow floor-engaging housing, a stem secured to the leg of the fumiture piece or other supporting element and having a lower enlarged cam depending into the housing, and a split collet held together by a resilient ring within the housing and below the enlarged end of the stem or cam. The housing has a raised central portion with a generally conical cam surface, and the enlarged end of the stem has a generally conical cam surface. The split collet has opposite cam surfaces complementary to and abutting the cam surfaces on the lower end of the stem and the raised portion of the housing.

Further objects are to provide a construction of maximum simplicity, efficiency, economy and ease of assembly and operation, and such further objects, advantages and capabilities as will later more fully appear and are inherently possessed thereby.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an adjustable swivel glide of the present invention as it would be applied to the leg of a piece of furniture.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the swivel glide.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the swivel glide taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded side elevational view, partially in cross section, of the components of the glide.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the split collet with the segments contracted.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the collet showing the segments expanded.

FIG. 7 is a partial bottom plan view of the lower part of the glide housing.

Referring more particularly to the disclosure in the drawing wherein is shown an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, FIG. ll discloses a furniture glide 10 having a threaded stem 1 1 adapted to be secured to the lower end 12 of a furniture leg shown in dotted outline. The glide 10 includes a cam 13 provided with the threaded stem 11, an enlarged polygonal portion 14 for adjustment with a tool of the stem 13 relative to the furniture leg 12, and an enlarged end 15 with a flat upper surface 16 and a generally conical lower surface 17 truncated at 18.

The glide includes a housing 19 formed of a lower cupshaped part 20 having an upper outwardly extending peripheral flange 21 and a floor-engaging lower surface 22, and an upper housing part or cover 23 having a central opening 24 to freely receive the polygonal portion 14 of the cam and a depending peripheral flange 25 adapted to be clinched over and onto the flange 21 of the lower part 19 as at 25. The lower part 20 has a raised central portion 26 provided with vertical reinforcing ribs or webs 27,27 depending to the surface 22. The raised portion 26 also has a generally conical surface 28 truncated at 29.

Located within the housing 19 is a split collet 31 formed of three or more sections 31,31 and 31. The collet 31 has a cylindrical portion 32 with an upwardly angled flange 33 and a downwardly angled flange 34; the cylindrical portion 32 having a central opening 35 therethrough. The upper flange 33 forms a generally conical recess 36 complementary to the conical surface 17 of the cam 13, and the lower flange 34 forms an opposite conical recess 37 complementary to the conical surface 28 of the lower housing part 20.

The flanges 33 and 34 also form an annular groove 38 around the collet 31 to receive a resilient ring 39 adapted to encompass the collet and urge the collet parts 31,3l and 31 together as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. The ring 39 is formed of a resilient material, such as rubber or compounded synthetic rubber, and is provided with a cylindrical inner surface 41. The collet 31 is preferably formed of a suitable plastic materia], such as nylon; the lower shell 20 is preferably made of a suitable plastic material, such as acetal; and the cam 13 is preferably formed of a suitable metal or alloy.

The glide 10 is shown in FIG. 3 in its normal position without any substantial pressure applied thereto; the conical surface 17 of the cam 13 engaging the upper surface 36 of the collet 31 and the conical surface 28 of housing 19 engaging the lower conical surface 37 of the collet 31. If pressure is applied to the corner of the furniture over this leg and glide, the pressure exerted by the cam 13 will cause the collet 31 to expand separating the segments 3],31" and 31, as shown in FIG. 6, limited by the encompassing resilient ring 39. The glide thus provides vertical adjustment of the leg.

The resilient ring 39 provides the power to operate the camming system. Also, the strength of the glide for leveling purposes can be varied by varying the material characteristics of the resilient ring.

The other features of the present glide relate to stopping wobble due to unevenness of the floor supporting the furniture piece. The glide has the ability to tilt considerably to allow for irregularity in the flatness of the floor surface or variations in the angular relationship of the leg and the floor. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the opening 24 is larger in diameter than the maximum distance across the polygonal portion 14 of the cam 13. Thus, the cam is free to move and tilt relative to the housing 19. Due to the cone shape of the surface 17 of the cam and the raised portion 26, the conical recesses 36 and 37 in the collet segments 3l,3l",31, and the clearance through the top shell 23, angular deflection of the cam 13 relative to the housing 19 to a considerable degree can be obtained and still allow the glide to operate as an automatic height adjustment device.

While a glide of a particular and effective shape has been shown and described by way of illustration, it is not my intent or desire to unnecessarily restrict the improvement by virtue of this limited showing. For instance, the stern maytake a variety of forms using machine or wood screw threads or a push-on assembly could be utilized with metal tubular legs thereby eliminating the need for the polygonal portion 14. Also, the stern could be replaced with a hollow tapped hole. In all instances the glide structure and function would remain the same.

Having thus disclosed my invention, 1 claim:

1. An automatic adjustable swivel glide for the supporting element of a piece of furniture or other equipment, comprising a stern having a cam with a downwardly and inwardly inclined cam surface at the lower end thereof and adapted to be secured at the upper end to the supporting element, a housing receiving the lower end of the stem and cam and having a central raised portion, and means including an expandible collet within the housing positioned between and engaged by the cam surface on the stem and the central raised portion of the housing to provide for vertical and angular adjustment of the stem relative to the housing.

2. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 1, in which said housing includes a cup'shaped lower part having the central raised portion therein, and a cap secured to the lower part, said cap having an opening loosely receiving said cam.

3. An automatic adjustable swivel glide for the supporting element of a piece of furniture or other equipment, comprising a stem having a cam at one end and adapted to be secured to the supporting element, a housing receiving the cam end of the stem, an expandible collet within the housing comprising a plurality of segments together forming an annular body, an upper flange and a lower flange on the collet defining an annular groove, and a resilient ring received in said groove and urging the collet segments together, said collet being engaged by the cam and the housing to provide for vertical and angular adjustment of the stem relative to the housing.

4. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 3, in which said housing has a lower part with a central raised portion engaging the lower end of the collet, whereby pressure exerted on said cam causes the collet, located between the end of the cam and said raised portion to expand against the force of said resilient ring.

5. An automatic adjustable swivel glide for the supporting element of a piece of furniture or other equipment, compris ing a stem having a cam at one end and adapted to be secured to the supporting element, an enlarged inner end on said cam terminating in a generally conical surface, a housing receiving the cam end of the stem and including a cup-shaped lower part and a cap secured thereto, said cap having an opening loosely receiving the cam, a central raised portion on the bottom of the lower housing part having a generally conical surface facing the conical surface on the cam, and means including a'n expandible collet within the housing having complemeiitary recesses on its opposite ends receiving said conical surfaces and engaged thereby to provide for vertical and angular adjustment of the stem relative to the housing.

6. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 4, in which the clearance between the stem and the opening in said cap and the shape of said engaging conical surfaces allows angular deflection of said stem relative to said housing.

7. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 4, including intersecting webs depending from said raised central portion to the plane of the bottom of the lower housing part.

8. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 6, in which said collet is formed of a plurality of arcuate segments, an upper and a lower flange on the collet defining an annular groove, and a resilient ring received in said groove to urge the segments together.

9. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 8, in which said upper flange is upwardly and outwardly inclined to form a portion of the upper conical recess, and said lower flange is downwardly and outwardly inclined to form a portion of the lower conical recess. 

1. An automatic adjustable swivel glide for the supporting element of a piece of furniture or other equipment, comprising a stem having a cam with a downwardly and inwardly inclined cam surface at the lower end thereof and adapted to be secured at the upper end to the supporting element, a housing receiving the lower end of the stem and cam and having a central raised portion, and means including an expandible collet within the housing positioned between and engaged by the cam surface on the stem and the central raised portion of the housing to provide for vertical and angular adjustment of the stem relative to the housing.
 2. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 1, in which said housing includes a cup-shaped lower part having the central raised portion therein, and a cap secured to the lower part, said cap having an opening loosely receiving said cam.
 3. An automatic adjustable swivel glide for the supporting element of a piece of furniture or other equipment, comprising a stem having a cam at one end and adapted to be secured to the supporting element, a housing receiving the cam end of the stem, an expandible collet within the housing comprising a plurality of segments together forming an annular body, an upper flange and a lower flange on the collet defining an annular groove, and a resilient ring received in said groove and urging the collet segments together, said collet being engaged by the cam and the housing to provide for vertical and angular adjustment of the stem relative to the housing.
 4. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 3, in which said housing has a lower part with a central raised portion engaging the lower end of the collet, whereby pressure exerted on said cam causes the collet, located between the end of the cam and said raised portion to expand against the force of said resilient ring.
 5. An automatic adjustable swivel glide for the supporting element of a piece of furniture or other equipment, comprising a stem having a cam at one end and adapted to be secured to the supporting element, an enlarged inner end on said cam terminating in a generally conical surface, a housing receiving the cam end of the stem and including a cup-shaped lower part and a cap secured thereto, said cap having an opening loosely receiving the cam, a central raised portion on the bottom of the lower housing part having a generally conical surface facing the conical surface on the cam, and means including an expandible collet within the housing having complementary recesses on its opposite ends receiving said conical surfaces and engaged thereby to provide for vertical and angular adjustment of the stem relative to the housing.
 6. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 4, in which the clearance between the stem and the opening in said cap and the shape of said engaging conical surfaces allows angular deflection of said stem relative to Said housing.
 7. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 4, including intersecting webs depending from said raised central portion to the plane of the bottom of the lower housing part.
 8. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 6, in which said collet is formed of a plurality of arcuate segments, an upper and a lower flange on the collet defining an annular groove, and a resilient ring received in said groove to urge the segments together.
 9. An automatic adjustable swivel glide as set forth in claim 8, in which said upper flange is upwardly and outwardly inclined to form a portion of the upper conical recess, and said lower flange is downwardly and outwardly inclined to form a portion of the lower conical recess. 